wturber said:
Scottsdale sometimes installs signaled (red lights) crosswalks where there are no car traffic intersections.
The only ones I remember runnibng across are at schools. Some of them used to operate only during school hours or on school days; I dont know if that has changed or not. Its been about 4-5 years since I rode in areas where most of those were.
The one near me at Dunlap / between 31st and 35th ave is for Cortez HS and park west of there, and it does operate anytime--I use it very very occasionally but its designed for pedestrians. IIRC there used to be bollards spaced too closely for anything but a narrow wheelchair or bike to fit thru (my trailers/trike wouldnt). I dont know if theyre still there as its been years since I last paid attention to it as I passed it (I generally ride only on the street, unless traffic is too dangerous to be in the main street and theres no back street to use instead)
EDIT: Google streetview shows theyve changed to a fence with a wide opening, I think I might be able to get the trike thru but not likely with a trailer (even the narrow ones).
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.5676385,-112.1316635,3a,75y,158.18h,64.75t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgx8QblC2oxv2GqxY0N7lgg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
Scottsdale recently built a very expensive underpass on Shea Blvd just east of 124th street for pedestrians, cyclists and horses.
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But I always wonder about the safety of tunnels like these where any activity is well hidden from view. I stopped and walked through it a month or so ago.
Sounds like the underpasses along the Arizona Canal (?) path that runs more or less diagonally across the valley from southeast to northwest. You can ride from at least 7th st & dunlap almost to Arrowhead mall without crossing any roads, including the i17 freeway...as long as you can get thru the tunnels with the various things that get stored in them by people (usually shopping carts full of their posessions). The part I worry about when I need to use them is that sometimes other people go there to harass those that have few other shady places to be, and those other people are sometimes dangerous types.
I rarely encounter pedestrians walking thru these underpass tunnels, probably because of the above, these days. When they first started building them, and up until a few years ago, there were some times of day especially on weekends that it was a lot safer and faster to cross streets because thered be a wall of strollers/joggers/etc across the whole tunnel, and cyclists or equestrians coming down the ramps into the darkness from the bright sunlight couldnt see them, and somebody would often crash or get hurt, since there was nowhere to go and no way to just stop coming down that slope, even at slower speeds, since thered usually be sand or dirt or powdery dried (or wet) mud on the concrete in spots.
I dont see any horses at all these days, though sometimes the SRP golfcars and trucks drive thru the tunnels (and sometimes seem to expect anyone in their way to somehow magically reverse and speed back the way they came to get out of their way).
If I were on a regular bicycle, there are some of these tunnels I would never ride thru now, and would rather face the trying and sometimes dangerous street crossings instead. On my larger CrazyBike2 and SB Cruiser trike, with power to accelerate (not just maintain speed) even up the underpass exit slopes (which can be pretty steep), Im a little more confident at being able to get away from a situation but I still usually stop before I go in to let my eyes adjust to the darkness and let my headlight show me whats down there, if for no other reason than to ensure I wont plow into a pile of stuff stored there, but even more to show me *who* is down there.
At night, Id usually rather cross the streets, as theres less traffic and if the gaps are narrower than Id prefer, at least they can clearly see me with all my lights on there (they can see me in daytime too but at nigth I look "bigger" due to the lighting vs the surroundings, and drivers are more likely to hesitate before doing something stupid (like accelerating to ensure an intersection of paths, when if they maintain their speed Id be well out of the way before they get there)).
